Administration damages our trust in government

The National Security Agency controversy is a very complex issue and important to the safety and civil protection of Americans. No matter how we decide to manage the program, the policy to be followed will depend on trust in the government.

The National Security Agency controversy is a very complex issue and important to the safety and civil protection of Americans. No matter how we decide to manage the program, the policy to be followed will depend on trust in the government.

Unfortunately, trust in government to do the right thing has been destroyed by the actions and inaction of President Barack Obama. As the leader of our country, he has the responsibility to set a balanced tone and ensure the executive branch enforces the law and serves in a visible, fair and balanced way. Trust is gained by open and honest dialogue. Polls show 56 percent to 63 percent lack trust in government; poll numbers this high demonstrate bipartisanship on the issue.

Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians take issue with some or all aspects of accountability for the Benghazi attack, the State Department's handling of inappropriate activity, the IRS' targeting of conservative and religious groups, Health and Human Services' raising money from companies it regulates, congressional testimony that is misleading and incomplete, and the Justice Department's using unprecedented methods to intimidate conservative and liberal investigative reporters.

It would be tragic if we must scale back NSA efforts to protect us from terrorism because we don't trust the Obama administration to use the massive information being collected for us, rather than against us.